Christian Fuller,South Eastand
Cash Murphy,South East
BBC
A second water station opened at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre in St John’s Road
About 23,000 customers are without water in Kent and the issue is set to continue through the night, a water company has confirmed.
On Saturday, South East Water (SEW) apologised to customers in the Tunbridge Wells area who were experiencing a loss of water or low pressure due to an issue at a treatment works.
Earlier, SEW delayed its estimated resolution of the issue to 06:00 GMT on Monday.
Matthew Dean, head of operations control, said Pembury Water Treatment Works had stopped working “due to a bad chemical batch”.
A new batch of the chemical was received on Sunday, he said.
South East Water incident manager, Marc Sims, said: “We are aware of about 23,000 customers who are currently experiencing water supply issues, either low pressure or no water.
“The number has reduced from around 24,000 earlier today, with about 1,150 properties in the Pembury area back in supply following rezones.”
He said the firm was “continuing to move water around and tankering into the network” and was carrying out “necessary water quality testing to get the site back up and running as soon as possible”.
Bottled water has been selling out at supermarkets in the Tunbridge Wells area
Three bottled water stations have been set up in Tunbridge Wells – at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre, Odeon Cinema Knights Way and RCP Parking.
These are expected to be open until 22:30 on Sunday.
“However, due to the winter festival in Tonbridge, we have closed the Sovereign Way bottled water station,” Mr Sims said.
The incident manager said the SEW customer care team and Water Direct had delivered bottled water to more than 2,000 of its most vulnerable customers and would continue to do so throughout the evening.
He added: “Our teams have been out delivering bottles of water to care homes in the area.
“We are in direct contact with Tunbridge Wells Hospital and have organised a tanker to support them, and will continue to be in contact with them until this is resolved.”
Earlier on Sunday, Nicola Hodgson, who lives near the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells, was among customers questioning why the first water station was set up in an “entirely different town”.
She said her husband had tried to visit the Tonbridge water station “first thing this morning and there was nothing there”.
“We have two young children, aged five and seven, so [they] have decamped to their grandmothers’ for the moment, so we can get them something to drink and have working toilets,” she added.
Customers in Tunbridge Wells are being affected by a problem at Pembury Water Treatment Works
Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin said he was also without water and had spoken to the chief executive of SEW.
He wrote on X: “For those who are not aware, the problem has been caused by a bad batch of coagulant chemicals.
“A new set of chemicals have been procured and the team have been working through [Saturday] night to clean out Pembury Treatment Works.”
Meanwhile, Teresa Barrett, who runs the Black Horse in Camden Road, said the pub had been without running water since midnight on Saturday.
She said: “Sadly, this means it is illegal for us to open. If I could, I would be opening.”
The landlady said losing a day of trading would be “extremely damaging”, adding: “I can’t afford to be closed, I can’t lose a day’s trading in the current climate.
“Things are hard enough for hospitality right now, businesses in this sector would have prepared for table bookings today and lost an extreme amount of money, [and] staff will still need to be paid.”
Peter Vincent, who lives in Grove Hill, said he noticed that the “cistern wasn’t refilling properly” on Sunday morning.
“We would get the flow and the pressure coming down the hill from the mains,” he told BBC Radio Kent.
“For us to be slow like that, it’s going to be pretty hard for some people somewhere in the town when they all start drawing their water off.”
Customers can sign up for the SEW Priority Services Register on its website.
